Our School

Maktab Nasional was founded in 1985 by a Board of Trustees that included Tan Sri Datuk Ben Stephens as the patron, Archbishop Datuk John Lee Hiong Foon, Felix Poh Thian Hui and Anthony Kong Fen Fong. The vision for a private Catholic mission school during its inception was to provide quality education to everyone regardless of race or creed and mould the next generation to contribute towards nation building based on a set of Christian values. At the time the founders of the school noted with concern that many Malaysian parents sent their children overseas for secondary education at an early age when their greatest need was for parental love and guidance within the family. It was felt that if a school with teaching standards and facilities comparable to those overseas and at the same time emphasising the acquisition of high standard of English was available, many parents would choose to send their children to such a school.

Hence, the school started with only 100 students in five classes and a teaching staff of ten teachers led by the first principal John Tham Kun Hin. Our first premises were located at 782, Jalan Sang Kancil 3 (now St Peter’s College) and when we formed the primary school in 1988 we moved to another location along Jalan Istiadat in Likas (now Pacific Parade). Tragedy struck in February 25th 1993 when fire burnt down the wooden structure of the primary school and left us with little choice but to move to our yet uncompleted buildings in Kingfisher Park. In 1995 the St Simon Educational complex opened its doors to the public.